9/26/13 | The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East

As most news organizations around the world focus on one narrative of political instability in the Middle East, something else significant is happening at scale in the region few are watching. A new generation raised on information technology is building significant enterprises from North Africa to Yemen. They are leveraging hyper successful ideas in areas like eCommerce which have worked well around the globe; they are solving daily problems and opportunities in health, education, recycling and new media; they are creating global enterprises with audiences one click away. Major global tech players — Google, Intel, Cisco, Microsoft, Pay Pal, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and most of the major mobile companies — have all moved in aggressively to not only market their services but invest in the building ecosystems. This call will share these amazing stories and show why the Middle East is not just a story of terrorism and chaos but is open for significant opportunity.

Chris Schroeder (YPO US Capital) first learned about this revolution through his PAN Arab American Action Forum (AAAF) involvement at the Dubai Celebration of Entrepreneurship. Very influential in catalyzing its rapid growth are fellow YPOers and AAAF Forummates, including Fadi Ghandour (WPO Jordan), Arif Naqvi (WPO Emirates) and Ahmed Alfi (WPO Beverly Hills).

Moderated by journalist and novelist David Ignatius, this archived call will dramatically broaden your perspective on the region

Listen to the recorded podcast of this GCC to learn:

Why look at the Middle East for entrepreneurship, and why now?
Who and where are the best opportunities today?
What impact is technology having, bottom up, on societies across the Middle East (as around the globe?)
Looking ahead, what can the region look like when more than half of the population have easy access to smart phones and broadband? What innovation is ahead?

By listening to this call, you will get valuable take home such as:

A rare look at a significant revolution in business and society in a central region of the globe.
Specific ideas of where and how to invest — both financially and operationally.
A framework on how technology is changing emerging growth market business and investment more broadly.

About the resources:

Fadi Ghandour (WPO Jordan): is the Founder and Vice Chairman of ARAMEX where he served for 30 years as the company’s CEO. Aramex is one of the leading global logistics and transportation companies publicly listed on the Dubai Financial Market. Fadi is also Co-Founder and Director of MENA Venture Investments. He is a member of the Board of Abraaj Capital and Chairman of WAMDA. He was also a Founding Partner of Maktoob.com, which became the first major technology acquisition in the region when purchased by Yahoo for $175 million. Fadi is passionate about social entrepreneurship. He is Founder and Chairman of Ruwwad for Development (www.ruwwad.jo).

Christopher M. Schroeder (YPO US Capital): is a Washington, DC/New York City internet entrepreneur and investor.Focused on consumer facing social and content platforms, his last company healthcentral.com was funded by Sequoia Ventures, Polaris Ventures, The Carlyle Group and IAC and sold last year.Previously he was CEO and publisher of Washingtonpost.Newsweek interactive.He also invests in and advises leading Silicon Valley venture funds. He sits on many global boards including The American University of Cairo School of Business, and Middle East startup resources wamda.com and Oasis500. His book, Startup Rising, is the first to delve deeply into the impact of technology and startups across the Arab world.

About the moderator:

David R. Ignatius: is a leading journalist and novelist. He is an associate editor and columnist forThe Washington Post. He also co-hosts PostGlobal, an online discussion of international issues at Washingtonpost.com, with Newsweek ‘s Fareed Zakaria. He has written eight novels, including Body of Lies, which director Ridley Scott adapted into a film. He is a former Adjunct Lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and currently Senior Fellow to the Future of Diplomacy Program. He has received numerous honors, including the Legion of Honor from the French Republic, the Urbino World Press Award from the Italian Republic, and a lifetime achievement award from the International Committee for Foreign Journalism.